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January 26, 2010

Do you really read all these books?

I really do. Juliet and I go to the library once a week, check out between 20 and 30 books and take them home. I read about 5 or 6 a day with her before her afternoon nap and Ben reads about 5 or 6 with her each night before bed.

How do you have time to do anything else if you read books all day?

We don't read them all day. We really only read during those two designated times--before nap and before bed at night. But because it is built into our daily routine, it makes it very easy for us to go through such huge quantities of books each week. Lately, Juliet has been trying to sneak in a third book time. Now when I tuck her into bed she says, "Hey, read me a book when I'm IN BED." So, I do, of course. How could I turn down a request for a book? I know she is only trying to stall bedtime, but I don't care. I love reading with her.

How did you come up with the name?

Juliet named the blog. Well, I guess I named it, but she inspired it. Here's the story: One morning, when Juliet was around 14 months old, she and I were reading books together in her room. She was flipping through My Little Animal Book by Roger Priddy when she came to a page with an eagle on it. She stopped, looked at the eagle, said, "CAW! CAW!" really loudly, then shook her head disapprovingly, and said, "silly eagle." She then continued turning the pages. This is one of my earliest memories of her interacting with a book. It's also one of my favorites.

What do you read when you are not reading children's books?

I like reading a variety of different things from magazines to nonfiction to fiction. Magazines I subscribe to are Dwell, Lucky, Cookie, and Elle Decor. I love reading nonfiction on the topics of personality, birth order, and learning styles. Strengthfinders (StrengthsFinder 2.0: by Tom Rath) is one of my obsessions. I've bullied encouraged countless family members into reading and taking the online test. (Trust me, they thank me now.)

As for fiction, I could list my favorites all day, but here are a few: The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and What is the What by Dave Eggers.

Just how frequently are you asked these questions?

Actually, no one has ever asked me any of these questions. But it make me feel a little more official to have a FAQ page. Humor me.

[Illustration by Gladys Rourke Blackwood from Geraldine Belinda by Marguerite Henry, published 1942]